Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Chocolate and Raspberry Banded Ice Cream Torte

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was a Chocolate-Banded Ice Cream Torte, selected by Food, Family, and Fun. I stuck with the original idea of the torte, using raspberries to flavor vanilla ice cream, sandwiched between layers of chocolate. I usually don't post recipes I've adapted from this book, but this dessert was so wonderful that I felt compelled.

The original recipe uses raw eggs in the chocolate, and normally I wouldn't have a problem eating this myself or serving it to others - the cases of salmonella are just too rare for it to be a serious threat as long as the eggs are kept refrigerated and used while fresh. However, I was bringing it over to my brother's house as a dessert, and my sister-in-law is pregnant, so I tried to find some whole pasteurized eggs. Three markets later, I still couldn't find any, so I ended up buying a carton of pasteurized egg whites. I was a little worried it might affect the way the chocolate was held together or tasted, but seeing how well the dessert came out, I wouldn't change it back. I also avoided the Chambord (after I bought the bottle), just in case. I know, a bit extreme, but I'm playing it safe.

Recipe - Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan
Torte:
14 tablespoons butter, each tablespoon cut into four pieces
9 ounces high-quality bittersweet chocolate (like Valrhona), coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups pasteurized egg whites
1 (12-ounce) package frozen black raspberries, thawed
1 tablespoon Chambord or other raspberry liqueur (optional)
1 quart high-quality vanilla ice cream (like Häagen-Dazs)

Syrup:
8 ounces fresh raspberries
2 tablespoons sugar

Grease a 8-inch springform pan. In a double boiler over medium heat, add the butter and chocolate. Mix together with a whisk until melted thoroughly - don't overheat or the chocolate will separate from the butter. Once it is combined, remove the bowl from heat and add the sugar. Cool the mixture for at least 5 minutes, and then slowly pour in the pasteurized eggs while whisking. Once it is homogenous, hit the bowl hard on the counter a few times so the bubbles come to the surface and pop.

Pour a third of this chocolate mixture into the springform pan and swirl until it is evenly distributed. Place into the freezer for 30 minutes, or until solid. Once it is solid, place the ice cream into a large food processor and add the black raspberries. Process until all the raspberries are broken up and distributed through the ice cream evenly. Spread half of the ice cream evenly on top of the chocolate, then place into the freezer for 15 minutes or until hard. Store the remaining ice cream in the freezer. Once the torte layer is solid, pour on another third of the chocolate mixture and swirl until evenly distributed. Freeze 30 minutes, then add the remaining chocolate and freeze an additional 15. Finally, add the remaining chocolate on top and freeze for at least 6 hours.

Before serving, pour hot water into a towel and surround the springform pan for 30 seconds. Pop open the springform and remove the torte. Place back into the oven so the melted sides can set up again before it's served. While waiting for it to cool down again, take 6 ounces of the fresh raspberries (leaving the rest for decoration) and place into a small saucepan with the 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place over medium heat and stir with a spoon until the raspberries have broken up releasing the syrup. Pour into a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds and skin. Cool in the refrigerator before serving. Remove the torte from the freezer 15 minutes before cutting to let it warm up a bit. Using a knife warmed by running under hot water, cut the slices of torte and serve with a spoonful of syrup and a few raspberries on the side.

This is absolutely one of my favorite recipes so far. My mom complimented me on it, saying you could easily find it in a nice restaurant for $9 a slice. This was my first time actually splurging by getting the best quality chocolate and ice cream I could, and it absolutely made all the difference in the final taste.

Chocolate and Raspberry Banded Ice Cream Torte

A very rich ending to a good meal. This recipe ...

See Chocolate and Raspberry Banded Ice Cream Torte on Key Ingredient.

21 comments:

steph- whisk/spoon said...

looks great, and i'm sure your sister-in-law was excited to be able to enjoy it, too!

Cristine said...

Looks beautiful! I love the color!

Elle said...

Oh my gosh Garrett, it's gorgeous! Chocolate and raspberry are so good together. And it's very cool that you went to so much trouble so your sister in law could have some too.

Beautiful dessert!

Jules Someone said...

Looks lovely. Very nice of you to put in the extra effort.

Engineer Baker said...

I love the color - so vibrant! Kudos on making it 100% safe.

Anonymous said...

Look at the color of your ice cream! Absolutely GORGEOUS!

kimberly salem said...

it looks great! the color is such a deep purple, very pretty. good to know that the egg whites work!

chocolatechic said...

Oh...your color is absolutely stunning.

Wonderful.

TeaLady said...

LOVE the color of the ice cream. Great Job!

Ryan Family said...

That looks beautiful Garrett!

Anonymous said...

good thing to know egg whites worked out fine. aww, sounds like you're a good brother-in-law. now what are you going to create with all that Chambord? :)

Unknown said...

Looks beautiful!! I love the deep raspberry color!

Anonymous said...

Are you sure you didn't copy this picture out of the book? It looks awesome!

Eleganza Strings/ The DeLadurantey Family said...

I love that color! Just beautiful!

Heather B said...

wow. That looks amazing! Great job!

Eileen said...

First time to your blog. Enjoyed looking!

Marthe said...

Wow! The colour of your ice cream is great, it is the exact same colour I have on one of the walls in my study ;-)

Nancy/n.o.e said...

Your torte is magnificent! What a great idea to use the egg whites, not just safe but a lot lower in fat/cholesterol. I'll remember that next time.
Nancy

Bette said...

What???!!!!

Salmonella cannot be controlled by refrigeration as it comes directly from the hen who laid the egg! Only heat (above 140 deg) can kill it.

The freshness of the egg has nothing to do with it either!

You can't tell by looking at an egg, or the hen who laid it, whether or not it contains salmonella bacteria!!!!

Anonymous said...

This sounds so delicious, I love the flavors you chose!

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Garrett said...

Bertha P -

Salmonella needs a favorable environment to multiply in, as well as time. Storing them in a cool temperature and using fresh eggs does reduce, but does not eliminate the threat (which I never indicated it did).
http://www.aeb.org/LearnMore/EggSafety.htm